Jacob's Creek

The history of Jacob's Creek begins with the settlement of South Australia. When William Jacob first surveyed the Barossa Region in 1839, he and his brother John took up land in the Hundred of Moorooroo (derived from an aboriginal word meaning ‘meeting of two waters’). The two waters were the North Para River and creek, which fed into it. The latter was called ‘Cowieaurita’ – which took its rise in the high land around Mount Crawford – and means “yellow-brown water”, the color produced from the iron laden soil. The creek was later renamed Jacob’s Creek after William Jacob and the Jacob brothers' small cottages still stand, overlooking Jacob's Creek.

In 1846 a German immigrant, Johann Gramp, purchased land further up stream. A year later he planted the Barossa Valley's first commercial vineyard, on the bank's of Jacob's Creek. His first vintage was in 1850, and he continued to make wine in his small ironstone winery beside Jacob’s Creek until his death at the age of 84.

On the original site by the creek, which meanders through the folds of the Barossa Ranges, Johann Gramp’s cellar still stands, preserving the heritage of what is now Australia’s most successful wine enterprise. A major catalyst for this success came in 1976, with the introduction of a striking Shiraz Cabernet Malbec from the 1973 vintage.